Dead Wood.......

[kylehess10]

I was looking for some game used bats on ebay and some descriptions say that they have dead wood. What exactly is dead wood and does it hurt the value of the bat?

[BoneRubbedBat]

Dead wood is separation(s) in the grain of the wood, also known as checking. It looks like layers of wood are flaking away. It can come from repeated trauma to the bat from making contact with balls, or from the bat drying out. As for value, it really depends on the degree. Most collectors will devalue a bat if the checking is more than minor, and more so if it occurs on the label-side of the bat.

Marcus

[kylehess10]

Thanks